'The schedule is crazy' - Chelsea captain Azpilicueta confirms 'player welfare' talks with FIFA as injuries pile up ahead of World Cup

• World Cup starts next month
• Teams facing hectic schedules
• Injuries already piling up

WHAT HAPPENED? The Spain international says players are in a tough situation ahead of the 2022 World Cup which takes place mid-season for the first time. The tournament in Qatar has led to a congested fixture schedule which has already seen several key players ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

WHAT THEY SAID: "It's difficult and it's sad because as players you want to go to the World Cup, but we have this schedule where we have to play for our club and do our best. We are fighting a lot for player welfare because the schedule is crazy," he said.

"Sometimes we have to consider everything and I think we are in conversations with FIFA. It's difficult because I understand that the fans want to see football. We have five subs now but we have in our team a couple of injuries that make it more difficult to rotate. We are playing every few days, but it's how it is and we have to step up."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: High-profile players such as Azpilicueta's Chelsea team-mates N'Golo Kante and Reece James, as well as Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota have already been ruled out of the World Cup after sustaining injuries. The condensed fixture list means it would be no surprise if more big names dropped out before the tournament starts next month.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Carabao Cup

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16 Dec 202515:00

Chelsea

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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? The Blues face another busy week at home and abroad. Chelsea are in Austria to take on RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday and then head to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.